Spanish authorities have intercepted a merchant vessel carrying approximately 6,500 kilograms of cocaine around 600 miles off the Canary Islands, following a joint operation involving the National Police, the Spanish Navy, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

According to the National Police, the operation was carried out under the direction of Spain’s Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court, after intelligence from the DEA on 8 October alerted authorities to the movements of an international criminal network transporting a substantial cocaine shipment across the Atlantic Ocean.

The vessel, a Tanzanian-flagged supply ship, had reportedly departed from the Panamanian port of Cristóbal and was destined for Vigo, in Spain’s Galicia region. The ship measured more than 54 metres in length, 12 metres in width, and 4.5 metres in depth.

Following the alert and the identified course, Spanish authorities launched a coordinated maritime operation to prevent the drugs from reaching European shores.

Around 21:30 on 22 October, officers from the Special Operations Group (GEO) boarded the vessel from a Spanish Navy ship during an at-sea interception in international waters.

Once on board, GEO agents detained nine crew members. During an initial inspection, officers found hidden compartments and modified structures inconsistent with a standard cargo ship design. These concealed areas were believed to have been used to store the cocaine.

The seizure is one of the biggest drug busts in Spanish waters this year and follows a series of large-scale narcotics operations. In recent months, Spanish authorities have confiscated 13 tonnes of cocaine in Algeciras, 3.6 tonnes in Galicia, and 1.7 tonnes in Valencia.

Spain remains a key entry point for South American cocaine into Europe because of its extensive maritime trade links and proximity to major Atlantic and African routes.

References: tenerifeweekly, canarianweekly